And he gave a nod and a wink and a wave.
And then he vanished too.
I looked at Icarus.
And Icarus looked at me.
‘That just leaves the two of us, kid,’ said I.
And then there came a knock knock knocking at my office door and I could see a great big shadow on the frosted glass.
‘I think you’d better leave all the talking to me, kid,’ I said. ‘This will be my last bow. I’ve solved my final problem. After I’ve talked to the dame, Lazlo Woodbine Investigations is shutting up shop for good and all. I’ve had enough of this business.’
Icarus smiled and stuck out his hand for a shake.
‘You’re a hero, brother,’ he said. ‘Put it there.’
I smiled back at the kid in the way that only Woodbine can do.
And then I shook my brother by the hand.
THE VERY END
Also by
ROBERT RANKIN
The Antipope
The Brentford Triangle
East of Ealing
The Sprouts of Wrath
Armageddon: The Musical
They Came and Ate Us
The Suburban Book of the Dead
The Book of Ultimate Truths
Raiders of the Lost Car Park
The Greatest Show Off Earth
The Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived
The Garden of Unearthly Delights
A Dog Called Demolition
Nostradamus Ate My Hamster
Sprout Mask Replica
The Brentford Chainstore Massacre
The Dance of the Voodoo Handbag
Apocalypso
Snuff Fiction
Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls
Waiting for Godalming
Web Site Story
The Fandom of the Operator
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse
The Witches of Chiswick
The Brightonomicon
The Toyminator
The Da-da-de-da-da Code
Necrophenia
Retromancer
The Japanese Devil Fish Girl and Other Unnatural Attractions
The Mechanical Messiah and Other Marvels of the Modern Age
The Educated Ape and Other Wonders of the Worlds
Illustrated works:
The Bumper Book of Ficts written by Neil Gardner
EMPIRES
E-book edition cover illustration by Robert Rankin
Additional editing and art direction, trans-perambulations of pseudo-cosmic shanty batter, snurfings of the Narfax, elliptical navigations through the aethyrs of Avalon and a well-made Snowball with three ice cubes in it to finish the day’s work with: Rachel Hayward
Table of Contents
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